The Killers
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 7, 1964 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Slant MagazineChuck Bowen
The Killers redux packs one lasting, significant, retrospective jolt of perversity that far eclipses any possible artistic intentions on the part of its creators though: the sight of future American President Ronald Reagan playing a baddie in his last film role before entering politics. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Though Siegel's The Killers dispatches Hemingway after six unfaithful minutes, its roundabout treatment seems truest to his spirit. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJ. Hoberman
Don Siegel’s remake was hardly so well received, although it is in many respects a more vivid, streamlined, callous film. Read full review
80
The New YorkerRichard Brody
Siegel’s terse, seething, and stylish direction glows with the blank radiance of sheet metal in sunlight; the movie’s bright primary colors and glossy luxuries are imbued with menace, and its luminous delights convey a terrifyingly cold world view. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Philip French
The movie defines the violent, complex persona that would make Marvin a star, and he's cast alongside the irresistibly alluring Angie Dickinson. Read full review
80
CineVueCraig Williams
What stands out most in Siegel’s The Killers is its unfaltering commitment to pulp fiction. Read full review
75
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
The second film version (1964) of Ernest Hemingway's short story, directed by Don Siegel with far more energy than Robert Siodmak could muster for his overrated 1946 effort. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Though the film does not stand up to the 1946 version with Burt Lancaster, it has its own pleasures, including Marvin's rather likable role of an assassin, the exciting robbery sequence, and, of course, the villainous Reagan getting his just desserts. Read full review
60
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Like its predecessor, Siegel's version is at its best while setting up the chillingly ruthless detail of the opening execution (here unnervingly set in an asylum for the blind), less satisfying when it starts providing an answer to the mysterious passivity of the victim (Cassavetes). Read full review
60
TimeStaff (Not Credited)
Perhaps the sole justification for turning a fine old movie into a just passable new one can be summed up as Angie Dickinson. Read full review
50
The New York TimesEugene Archer
Donald Siegel, a talented director, is too handicapped by his limited means to do much with the fragments of plot about a fall guy involved with a mail robbery, a devious redhead and double-crosses following in predictable sequence. His actors seem dispirited by the script. Read full review
50
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Coon’s screenplay is burdened with affected dialog and contrived plotwork. Virtually nothing of the original Hemingway remains. Read full review
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